A support head is an accessory widely used in the video-photographic sector which makes it possible to rotate video-photographic equipment mounted on it about one or more axes of rotation.
The support head generally comprises a base, which may be provided with means of attachment to a supporting structure such as a tripod or the like, and one or more bodies are mounted one upon the other in succession from the base in such a way as to allow them to rotate about their respective rotation axes, together with an attachment plate fixed to the last of these bodies to which the video-photographic equipment can be removably attached.
The abovementioned rotation axes are normally perpendicular to each other and when the base is supported in a horizontal plane they define a vertical axis passing through the base (known as the panoramic axis), a horizontal axis parallel to the optical axis of the video-photographic equipment (known as the level axis) and a horizontal axis perpendicular to that optical axis (known as the tilt axis).
Rotation of the individual bodies around their own axes of rotation is preferably controlled by the operator by means of suitable levers extending from the corresponding bodies, which often result in extending in directions perpendicular to each other.
This configuration certainly makes it convenient to perform the actions of positioning the video-photographic equipment, but its excessive bulkiness makes the operations of transporting and storing the support head complicated.
WO 2011/056498 describes a support head in which one of the control levers can be folded back in such a way as to reduce the overall dimensions of the head when it is not in use.
In particular the lever described in that document is provided with an articulated joint in a median position along its shaft which permits the two portions of the shaft separated by the articulated joint to move between a working position in which those portions extend in mutual alignment and a non-working position in which the more distal portion of the body of the head can be folded downwards.
This solution nevertheless has some disadvantages, including the fact that its construction does not make it possible to automatically take up any play between the components of the articulated joint, resulting in the possibility of undesired oscillations between the two portions of the shaft even when the articulated joint is closed in the working position.
Another disadvantage arises from the fact that the construction of the articulated joint involves the construction and assembly of different additional components, thus increasing the overall cost of the support head.
Another disadvantage arises from the fact that the presence of the articulated joint in a visible position on the shaft may result in it being not very aesthetically pleasing, thus compromising the overall aesthetics of the support head.
Heads in which the control levers are provided with a telescopic arm that is intended to be elongated when the levers are in use and closed up when the levers and/or the head are not in use are also known.
Telescopic arms may give rise to problems because of the existence of play between the various parts of the lever arm, which do not permit optimum operation of the lever itself.
Furthermore the locking device provided for the telescopic arm has its own non-negligible dimensions and renders operation more complicated and slower, because additional actions are required from the operator in order to immobilise/release the arm.
There therefore remains a requirement for the provision of solutions which make it possible an effective reduction in the dimensions of the levers in a support head without compromising the structural and functional characteristics of existing levers.